No Matter What
by Writer Of Worlds
Summary: Ulrich has been kidnapped by XANA and is used as bait to lure his team into a trap. While awaiting rescue, Ulrich hopes that they don't rescue him so they wouldn't get killed because of him-especially the love of his life, Yumi Ishiyama. For Bad Things Happen Bingo on my Tumblr. Mild cursing, blood, whump. Ulrich/Yumi.


**HOLY HELL someone on Tumblr requested this in October and I just NOW finished this! So sorry about that!**

**Anyway, to start off Bad Things Happen Bingo, I'll start off with my favorite whump trope: Used as Bait.**

**WARNINGS: Blood, mild cursing.**

**Also my writing is super rusty so if it's not as good as it was, I apologize!**

**All characters are aged up for this story.**

* * *

**No Matter What**

He was scared. Beyond terrified.

He was running late on his date with Yumi, only for Jim to stop him. Ulrich was about to ask his gym teacher if something was wrong, but the moment he saw the familiar symbol of XANA pulsing in his eyes, he realized that it wasn't Jim.

XANA had possessed him and was after Ulrich.

He tried to run, only for XANA to grab him. Desperation coursed through him as he kicked and bit at his captor to no avail. As he struggled for freedom, XANA shocked him into unconsciousness.

When he came to, he was in the Forest sector of Lyoko. He attempted to move, only to find out he was tied down. Energy ropes with a blue glow bound his body to a tree, rendering him helpless and kept in place. He also discovered that he couldn't speak either—another energy rope was around his mouth and wedged between his teeth, keeping him silent. His wrists ached from the ropes keeping them behind his back.

He was alone… at least, that was what he thought for a minute.

He saw, at the corner of his eye, at least two Krabs hiding behind a rock, their aims focused up ahead. On his other side, Bloks were hiding behind another tree. And behind the tree he was bound to, he heard the buzzing noise of Hornets.

It was clear: he was bait for his team.

He strained and struggled against his bonds, sweat beading down his face from both fear and the strenuous struggling. If he doesn't get out of this, his team—his _friends_—would rush to his rescue, only to get killed. Ulrich was sure that XANA had messed with the Devirtualization of the supercomputer, so if his friends were defeated, it would spell death for them.

_This is all my fault, _Ulrich thought, slumping in his bonds and sighing through the rope keeping him quiet. His heart broke in two over the thoughts of his closest friends. He was sure that Jeremie knew it was a trap, but he sent the others to save him anyway. Odd would already be hell-bent on knocking down any of XANA's monsters to save his best friend. Aelita… if XANA wanted her, she would have to give herself up to save Ulrich.

And Yumi… oh God, _Yumi. _His girlfriend who he loved so much and who he was willing to give up everything for. She must have been freaked out by now. She was most likely the first one to the Scanner Room to save him. In fact, she could be searching for him already.

His heart raced wildly against his chest at the thought of his lover. If Yumi was the one to fall into XANA's trap…

Tears pricked his eyes as he wriggled against his bindings again. He couldn't just sit here and wait for his friends to run into a trap. He _had _to escape, to save his friends. _To save Yumi._

* * *

He wasn't sure how long he was tied up here. Because of the Devirtualization being disabled, Ulrich felt the ropes digging into his skin as he struggled. His mouth was chafed from gnawing through the rope gag, and he swore he felt something warm drip down from his lips.

He grunted, breathing through his nose. The energy ropes didn't budge an inch from his struggles—in fact, he felt them getting tighter to the point he could barely breathe.

His grunts turned into whimpers as blood dripped from the rope burns around his wrists, body, and mouth. Judging by how his eyes were heavy, his life points were down to half from the pain he had inflicted himself from his futile struggling.

There was nothing he could do. All he could do was watch as his friends find him and rush to his rescue, only to be shot down.

Tears streamed down his face. It was all his fault. If he had been stronger… if he had been faster—

"Ulrich!"

Ulrich's head shot up from the sound of a voice. When he spotted the taller figure ahead of him, his eyes widened.

Yumi. Her mouth was gaped open and her eyes were wide in horror upon seeing her beloved in his pathetic state. Without hesitation, she sprinted towards Ulrich. Towards the trap XANA left for her with Ulrich as the unwilling bait.

The Krabs moved slightly enough that Yumi didn't notice them. The Bloks charged their freezing lasers. Ulrich could hear the Hornets charging up their lasers.

Panic set in, as Ulrich shook his head violently. His frantic warnings were muffled, which Yumi either didn't understand, or flat-out ignored.

_No! Yumi! Run! It's a trap!_

Blood and tears flowed down in a faster pace as Ulrich strained against his bindings. He was sure that his health points were down to the single digits now, but Ulrich didn't care. Yumi was heading into a trap—a trap that would surely kill her because of him.

Yumi was closer, and Ulrich saw the light of the Krabs' lasers shining from their "eyes".

_NO!_

Ulrich shook his head faster, before pointing towards the monsters' hiding spots with his head. He screamed muffled pleas to run and to forget about him, that he was only bait.

It seemed like it worked, as Yumi stopped in her tracks. Her fans were unsheathed and opened, ready to strike.

That was when the trap was sprung.

The Krabs' lasers shot towards the black-haired girl, and Ulrich could see frozen streams heading towards his girlfriend. The buzzing behind the tree he was tied to grew louder as the Hornets emerged from their hiding spot, lasers spouting from their stingers.

Yumi cursed—Ulrich wasn't sure what she said exactly—as she jumped forward, miraculously avoiding every shot her way.

XANA'S monsters emerged from their hiding spots then, surrounding Yumi on all sides.

There was no escape for Yumi. Her only way out was to fight her way through.

One Krab shot another laser towards his girlfriend, only for Yumi to block it by shielding herself with one of her fans. While she was occupied, the Hornets sprayed their deadly Acid Launchers near her feet. Ulrich screamed through his rope gag to warn Yumi to be careful where she stepped.

She barely avoided touching the poison before she flipped forward and on top of a Blok. While the Blok tried to shake her off, Yumi threw both of her fans towards the Hornets. One Hornet exploded instantly upon contact, while another one dodged it. However, the fan it avoided ended up hitting a Krab, and it fell to the ground, exploding in red pieces that dissipated.

The fan that destroyed the Hornet hit the Blok Yumi was on right in its "eye". Right before it went down, Yumi gracefully backflipped from the Blok, before retrieving both of her fans.

Unfortunately, this was enough for a Krab to take a shot. Ulrich cried out, squeezing his eyes shut when the Krab's laser hit Yumi's arm. Ulrich saw blood splashing from the injury, and he heard Yumi gasp in pain.

Ulrich couldn't watch—he kept his eyes shut, moving his head to the side so he wouldn't witness what was happening in front of him. Yumi was fighting for her life, and it was all because of him. He couldn't protect her. He placed her in a dangerous situation because he was useless, useless, useless…

He could only hear explosions, battle and pained cries from his beloved, and lasers attempting to shoot her down. Tears streamed down, as he listened helplessly to the battle Yumi was forced in, thanks to him.

Then. Silence on both sides. Ulrich heard slow but familiar footsteps heading towards him.

"Ulrich."

Ulrich slowly opened his eyes to glance up at the bloody and bruised face of his girlfriend. From how heavy she was breathing and how her eyes were half-lidded, she had taken a large chunk of life points to save him.

_She's hurt because of me..._

Yumi unsheathed one of her fans, before cutting through the energy ropes attaching Ulrich to the damned tree. The boy took a deep breath through his nose, glad that the restraints that cut through his breathing were finally removed. With unsteady hands, he reached behind his head to undo the rope around his mouth.

"Here," Yumi spoke in a soft voice, "let me get it…" She took both of his hands gently, a comforting smile on her face. She released his hands before reaching behind his head to untie the rope gag.

As soon as his mouth was freed, Ulrich coughed, the taste of burning twine mixed with the iron taste of his blood left on his tongue. He was sure the taste would linger for quite a while.

"Are you all right?" Yumi asked, concern laced in her voice. She took his hands, examining the rope burns that mottled Ulrich's skin.

Ulrich was okay physically despite his injuries, but he wasn't emotionally. He only nodded to answer her, however, so to not to worry his love.

Without warning, Yumi enveloped her boyfriend in a tight hug. Ulrich blinked in surprise, and a blush formed on his cheeks.

"Thank God… when Jeremie called me about you, I was… I was worried!" Yumi sniffled, and Ulrich could feel her tears dripping down.

"I… I was worried for you too, Yumi," Ulrich admitted, his voice hoarse from the damned gag. He wrapped his arms around his girlfriend, before his tears finally fell. "XANA was using me as bait… I-I almost got you killed! I'm sorry, Yumi, I—"

"This isn't your fault," Yumi disagreed, her teeth gritting. Her heart broke in two upon hearing her beloved blaming himself. If she hadn't checked on him instead of waiting, he wouldn't have been taken and harmed. "It's mine. If I had been there, I would have…"

"Yumi…" Ulrich gulped, burying his face into her shoulder. His body shook—he wasn't sure if it was from his wounds or the fact that he nearly lost his love.

"I'm so sorry, Ulrich," Yumi sobbed, "I'm sorry."

"This… this isn't your fault either, Yumi," Ulrich whispered, rubbing the black-haired girl's back. Even though he was taken hostage, it seemed like Yumi needed the comfort more than him. "If anything, the only one at fault here is XANA. That bastard planned this..."

"But—"

"Yumi. We're both okay. We're both safe. That's what matters. Please don't give it another thought."

Yumi closed her mouth, processing Ulrich's words. He was right. Despite the injuries and intense worry for each other, they were both safe.

They were both _alive._

"Ulrich…" she nodded. "All right…"

Ulrich smiled before pulling away slightly from the embrace, only to kiss her. Yumi's face turned a bright red but accepted the kiss as she closed her eyes. Her arms remained around Ulrich's body, as she was lost in the kiss that reminded her that they survived a harrowing event.

When they parted, they smiled.

"I'll always save you. No matter what." Yumi whispered.

"Same…"

They didn't hear Jeremie's cry of "Return to the past now!", nor did they see the white light surrounding the area. They stayed in the embrace, knowing that they would always save each other. No matter what.

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**Constructive criticism is welcomed as usual! ****I'm gonna need it after not writing for so long...**


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